I’ve been eating these Black Bean and Avocado Enchiladas for lunch all week and the fact that I only have one serving left almost makes me want to cry… I might have to make a second batch pronto. Yes, they’re that good.
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It’s All About the Enchilada Sauce
What makes these enchiladas so amazing? Not only are they filled with super fresh flavors, but they’re smothered in a homemade enchilada sauce. Now, if you’ve made my homemade enchilada sauce before you know that it takes less than ten minutes to make and is 100x better than the canned stuff.
Well, this time I went one step further and added a little cocoa powder to the enchilada sauce. OMG. You won’t believe how rich and amazing the cocoa makes the sauce! It doesn’t taste like chocolate, just extra rich and good. It’s the same amazing chili/chocolate combo that works magic in the Aztec Cocoa. SO. GOOD.
The Simple Filling
Black beans give these enchiladas filling power and avocado offers that creaminess that you’d usually get from cheese. If you’re vegan, just make sure your tortillas don’t contain lard (some do, some don’t). Or, try making your own!
Should I Use Corn or Flour Tortillas for Enchiladas?
Enchiladas are supposed to be wrapped in corn tortillas, not flour flour tortillas, but I’m all about doing what makes you happy. Use whichever type of tortilla you like. But whatever type you use, consider giving them a quick toast in a hot skillet before wrapping your enchilada filling. It will give your enchiladas some extra toasty flavor!
Black Bean and Avocado Enchiladas
Servings 5 two per servingIngredients
ENCHILADA SAUCE
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil* ($0.10)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp chili powder** ($0.60)
- 2 cups water ($0.00)
- 3 oz. tomato paste (1/2 of a 6oz can) ($0.23)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder ($0.03)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
ENCHILADAS
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($0.59)
- 1 avocado ($1.50)
- 1 tomato ($0.86)
- 2 green onions ($0.13)
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels ($0.33)
- 1 handful fresh cilantro ($0.13)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 10 8-inch tortillas*** ($2.49)
Instructions
- First prepare the enchilada sauce. In a medium sauce pot combine the cooking oil, flour, and chili powder. Heat the mixture over a medium flame until it begins to bubble. Whisk and cook the bubbling paste for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the water while whisking. Add the tomato paste, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk until smooth and continue to heat over a medium flame. Let the sauce come up to a gentle simmer, at which point the sauce will thicken. Once thickened, turn off the heat and set the sauce aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Drain and rinse the can of beans, then add them to a large bowl. Cube the avocado, dice the tomato, slice the green onion, and pull a handful of cilantro leaves from their stems. Add them all to the bowl, along with the frozen corn kernels. Stir everything together. Season with a little salt and garlic powder.
- Coat a casserole dish with non-stick spray. Fill each tortilla with about 1/3 cup of filling and roll tightly. Place the filled tortillas in the casserole dish, seam side down. Once all of the filled enchiladas are in the dish, pour the enchilada sauce over top.
- Bake the enchiladas in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until they’re heated through and the sauce is bubbly along the edges. Top with any remaining cilantro and enjoy!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Black Bean Enchiladas – Step By Step Photos
Start with the amazing sauce, so that it will be ready to go on the enchiladas later. Add 2 Tbsp cooking oil, 2 Tbsp flour, and 2 Tbsp chili powder to a medium sauce pot. Turn the heat on to medium and begin to whisk them together.
The mixture will begin to bubble. Keep whisking and cooking, after it begins bubbling, for 1-2 minutes. This toasts the flour and chili powder for maximum flavor.
Next, carefully add 2 cups of water, then 3 oz. tomato paste, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp salt, and 2 tsp cocoa powder. Whisk it all in until smooth, and continue to cook over medium heat until it comes up to a gentle simmer. When it starts simmering it will begin to thicken up. Once it’s thickened, just turn off the heat and set it aside until you’re ready to use it.
Begin preheating the oven to 350ºF. Drain and rinse one 15oz. can black beans, then add them to a bowl. Dice one avocado and one small tomato, slice two green onions, and add them all to the bowl. Pull a handful of cilantro leaves from the stems and add it to the bowl, along with 1 cup frozen corn kernels. Stir everything together and then season with about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp garlic powder.
Next, add a little of the filling to each tortilla and then roll it up tight. I used 8-inch flour tortillas and made 10 enchiladas, each with about 1/3 cup filling.
Roll the enchiladas tightly and then arrange them in your dish. Oh, and coat the dish with non-stick spray if you want the enchiladas to come out in one piece.
Then pour that amazing sauce over top! Bake the enchiladas in a preheated 350ºF oven for 25-30 minutes, or until they’re heated through and the sauce is bubbling along the sides.
It’s sad because the pictures don’t do these Black Bean and Avocado Enchiladas justice. They’re SO GOOD. I wish you could see the carnival of flavors that are going on inside…
I promise they’ll “disappear” quickly. ;)
This has become a staple in my recipe collection because it is so delicious and we are vegetarian. Made it for the neighbors, too and they were raving. Once I had to substitute the black beans with pinto beans and it was just as fantastic. Thank you so much for your great recipes!
This is really good, especially that yummy, yummy sauce. Would love it if I could think up a way to add a little different texture to it – maybe corn?
These look amazing and I’m planning to make them tomorrow. However, I was wondering if you had tried them with corn tortillas?
I haven’t made this particular recipe with corn tortillas, but I have made enchiladas with corn tortillas many times. I like to toast the tortillas in a skillet before filling them. Baking time and everything else should be the same.
I have made them with corn tortillas as a friend who came over for dinner is gluten intolerant (the little bit of flour for the sauce didn’t bother her) and it was very good. Not quite as delicious as with flour tortillas but definitely very good.
Honestly, I’ve never had enchiladas before and these did not disappoint. i had a lime on hand and used half of its juice in the filling(try it next time, it’s delicious). Also it was sooo quick and easy to make! Would definitely recommend to anybody, no matter their diet.
Tried this recipe tonight and it was so good! I cheated and added cheese to the filling and it was fantastic. Will be making this again!
We looooove this recipe. The only problem for us was that the sauce was way too hot–I’ve never had enchiladas so hot (hence the four stars instead of five). I eliminate the cayenne and then it’s fine (still plenty spicy, I think, but not overwhelmingly hot). With that tweak to the sauce, this recipe has become a Friday night tradition in our house. We all (including our two-year-old) love it. Thanks so much for an awesome recipe!
It’s probably the chili powder that you used. What brand is it? I’ve found recently that some brands actually contain cayenne. :( The McCormick chili powder that I usually use has no cayenne and is completely mild.
I had some extra sauce leftover even after I finished all the enchiladas, so I used it as salad dressing. I might have to make another batch of this sauce just for that purpose!
WOW. All I can say is, we were pleasantly surprised by the amount of flavor in this recipe. As a Mexican cook, I was hesitant to try this, but the picture looked so good and curiosity got the better of me, and I am so glad I did! This is my new favorite vegetarian recipe. I regularly make chicken/beef/pork enchiladas, and these are now at the top of my list. One tip: I spread a spoonful of sauce at the bottom of the baking dish to get the tortilla totally covered before I set the enchiladas in. Served with my spanish rice, it was perfect. So good, thanks for posting!!
Hi Beth,
I’ve made this before and love it to bits. Planning to make this again, but replacing the filling with that from your black bean quesadillas (that one’s a winner too!).
Question about the enchilada sauce though – does it freeze well?
Cheers!
I find that the sauce freezes okay when it’s already on the enchiladas, but if you freeze it by yourself it separates just a bit upon thawing. The flavor doesn’t change, though! :)
Made these for the first time last night (sans the cocoa) and my wife (vegetarian) LOVED them so much. I am not vegetarian but I think these might be the best enchiladas I have ever had!
Can you make this without the cocoa powder? Wasn’t able to get it in the budget this week. I really want to try these. Sounds yumm-o! We looovvee enchiladas.
Yes, absolutely. It will just be a regular style enchilada sauce instead of a mole style.
I just want to say thank you, because this is a staple in my home. I add cheese on top, and will add whatever garden veggies I have (jalapenos!!!). I also bake the filled tortillas a bit to crisp them before I finish cooking with the sauce. I asked my boyfriend what he wants for dinner today, and he says, “enchiladas?”. There aint no question on what kind, because it’s ALWAYS these. We’re not vegetarian, but damn if it isn’t more convenient to not cook a protein.
These are so great. They’re perfect to make on the weekend and eat for lunch all week. The avocado gets a little mushy when you do that but I’ve made them with squash and corn too to avoid that :)
My boyfriend said that wasn’t made from a recipe it was made from love. He went for seconds and said I’m gonna murder these.
These are amazing! I subbed sauteed onions for the green onions, and roasted sweet potato cubes for the corn. Delicious, definitely making again!